Rose plant

ABSTRACT

A new hardy variety of hybrid grandiflora rose plant, of the outdoor, bush type, having a strong citrus fragrance and blooming abundantly almost throughout the growing season. Blooms are borne sometimes singly but usually three to five on a stem, and display color effects predominantly of off-white, suffusing to yellow-green. Flowers range from 3 to 31/2 inches across, with from 25 to 30 petals, plus 0 to 5 petaloids.

This invention relates to a new variety of hybrid grandiflora rose. Theplant is a half hardy bush outdoor seedling grown mainly for gardendecoration. It was asexually reproduced by Herbert C. Swim and Jack E.Christensen in Ontario, Calif., having as its seed parent "Angel Face"(U.S. Plant Pat. No. 2,792) and for its pollen parent "Misty" (U.S.Plant Pat. No. 3,983). The new variety holds its distinguishingcharacteristics through succeeding propagations by budding.

The plant bears its flowers sometimes singly, sometimes three to five ormore to a stem in irregular flat clusters on normal, short to mediumstems. It blooms abundantly outdoors, and nearly continuously during thegrowing season. The blooms have a strong citrus fragrance.

Among the ways in which this new cultivar may be most readilydistinguished from its seed parent, Angel Face, are the following.

Whereas Angel Face bears buds and blooms of a deep lavender coloration,the new cultivar bears buds and blooms of a white coloration,essentially as described below and illustrated herein.

Angel Face bears significantly larger open flowers (4 inches indiameter) than does the new cultivar, whose open flowers are from 3 to31/2 inches in diameter.

Whereas Angel Face is classified as a hybrid floribunda, the new rose isin the hybrid grandiflora class.

This new cultivar may most readily be distinguished from its pollenparent, Misty, by the following characteristics:

Whereas Misty bears flowers of from 35 to 45 petals, the new rose bearsblooms of significantly fewer petals, from 25 to 30.

Misty is classified as a hybrid tea, whereas the new cultivar falls intothe hybrid grandiflora classification.

Whereas the new cultivar produces flowers of a very strong fragrance,Misty bears flowers of only slight fragrance.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the plant in color and shows theflowering thereof from bud to full bloom.

Throughout this specification color names beginning with a small lettersignify that the name of that color, as used in common speech, is aptlydescriptive. Color names beginning with a capital letter designatevalues based upon the Nickerson Color Fan, put out by Munsell Color Co.

BUD

The peduncle is of average length, average caliper, erect and stiff. Itis almost smooth, with some stipitate glands. The color is betweenModerate Yellow Green, 5GY5/6, and moderate Olive Green, 7.5GY4/4.

Before the calyx breaks, the bud is medium in size, medium-length,pointed, ovoid, and with a few stipitate glands on the surface of thebud. There are usually slender foliaceous parts extending beyond the tipof the bud equal to one-half or more of its length.

As the calyx breaks, the color is between off-white and Brilliant YellowGreen, 2.5GY9/8. The inner surface of the sepals carries a woolytomentum; margins are lined with stipitate glands.

As the first petal opens, the bud is average in size, medium-length,pointed and ovoid. The color on the outside and inside of the petal isthe same, with a basal attachment point of near Brilliant Yellow Green,2.5GY9/8, suffusing to between off-white and Brilliant Yellow Green,2.5GY9/8 The bud opens up well, and is not prevented from opening bycold, hot, wet or dry weather.

BLOOM

When fully open, the bloom is of average size, being from 3 to 31/2inches in diameter. The petalage is double, with from 25 to 30 petals,plus from 0 to 5 petaloids arranged regularly. In form, the bloom iscupped to high centered at first, becoming cupped, the petals remainingat first tightly cupped, becoming later at maturity loosely cupped, withtips reflexed outward.

The petals are of medium thickness, with inside satiny and outsideslightly shiny. The outside petals are from round to broadly obovate,the apex usually having one notch. Intermediate petals are broadlyobovate, with apex rounded. The inside petals are obovate to irregular.Color may be modified by being shaded and/or washed with other colors.

The following description is of a newly opened rose that had been grownoutdoors in the month of September, in Ontario, Calif.

The outer surface and inner surface of the outside petal were of thesame coloration, there being a basal attachment point which was nearBrilliant Greenish Yellow, 10Y9/9, suffusing to between off-white andBrilliant Greenish Yellow, 10Y9/9. The intermediate and inside petalswere of the same coloration as the outside petals.

The following description was made from a rose that was open for threedays outdoors in the month of September. The plant had been grown inOntario, Calif.

Both the outside petal and the inside petal were of the same coloration.The outer surface had a basal attachment point which was near BrilliantGreenish Yellow, 7.5Y9/8, suffusing quickly to between white andoff-white, with only the slightest shade of near Brilliant GreenishYellow, 7.5Y9/8. The inner surface was the same coloration but with morepure white pigment.

The general color effect of the newly opened flower was near off-white,with some suffusing to between Brilliant Greenish Yellow, 7.5Y9/8, andBrilliant Yellow, 2.5Y9/9, in the depths of the flower. After beingthree days open, the flower was more near white, with some suffusing tobetween off-white and Brilliant Yellow, 2.5Y9/9, in the depths of theflower. Some petals drop off cleanly; some persist, fading to betweenwhite and off-white. They are not particularly affected by cold, hot,wet or dry weather.

The flower on the bush in the garden persists for from 3 to 4 days inthe month of September. Cut roses grown outdoors and kept at living-roomtemperatures last from 3 to 4 days in the month of September.

REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

There are an average number of stamens arranged regularly about thepistils.

Filaments are medium-length to long and near Brilliant Greenish Yellow,10Y9/9, in color. Most are with anthers.

Anthers are of medium size and all open approximately at once. Theircolor is lighter than Brilliant Yellow, 5Y9/9, just prior to dehiscence.

Pollen is somewhat sparse, and much lighter in color than BrilliantYellow, 5Y9/9.

There are from an average number to many pistils, there beingapproximately 110.

Styles are very uneven, of average length, very thin and looselybunched. Their coloration is near Brilliant Yellow Green, 2.5GY9/8.

The stigma is near Strong Red, 2.5R5/12, in color.

The ovaries are usually all enclosed in the calyx.

Since this variety does not normally produce hips when grown outdoors inOntario, Calif., there are no hips or seeds for description.

FOLIAGE

The compound leaves usually comprise from three to five leaflets. Theyare from normal to abundant, of medium size, moderately heavy andsemi-glossy. The leaflets are round to ovate in shape, with apexmucronate, base round and margin doubly serrate.

The upper surface of the mature foliage is a color between ModerateOlive Green, 5GY4/3, and Dark Grayish Green, 10GY3/2. The under surfaceis between gray and Moderate Olive Green, 5GY4/3, in coloration.

The young foliage had the same coloration on both the upper and undersurface, this being near Strong Yellow Green, 7.5GY6/8, washed and edgedwith near Moderate Reddish Brown, 7.5R3/6.

The rachis is average in size, grooved on its upper side, with somestipitate glands on the edges. The under side is moderately smooth andhas a few stipitate glands.

The stipules are medium-length and medium-width, with medium-length tolong points recurved toward the stem.

The plant displays a more than average resistance to mildew as comparedwith similar varieties now in commerce grown under comparableconditions.

GROWTH

The plant is bushy and upright-spreading in habit, and much branched. Itdisplays a moderately vigorous growth. Canes are of light to mediumcaliper.

The main stems are between Moderate Yellow Green, 2.5GY5/5, and LightOlive, 10Y5/5, in color. They bear few large prickles, which are shortto medium-length, almost straight to hooked slightly downward, and witha medium-length narrow base. Their color is between Strong Brown,5YR4/5, and Moderate Brown, 5YR3/3. There are no small prickles and nohairs.

The branches have a coloration which is between Moderate Yellow Green,5GY5/6, and Moderate Olive Green, 7.5GY4/4. They carry very few largeprickles, which are moderately short, almost straight to hooked slightlydownward, with a short narrow base. Their coloration is near StrongBrown, 5YR4/5. There are no small prickles and no hairs.

The new shoots are between Strong Yellow Green, 5GY7/10, and StrongYellow Green, 7.5GY6/8, in color. They bear very few large prickles,which are moderately short, almost straight to hooked slightly downward,with a short narrow base. Their color is near Strong Yellow Green,2.5GY6/8. There are no small prickles and no hairs.

We claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of rose plant of the hybridgrandiflora class, substantially as herein shown and described, beingfurther especially characterized in the vigor of its growth habit, beingmuch branched, and clothed in semi-glossy relatively disease-resistantfoliage, the flowers being off-white in coloration, well-formed, and ofa strong citrus fragrance.